Posts tagged “Masai Mara”

We are now in the migration season and as I gear up for my annual Masai Mara migration photo tour series, here is a recap of some memorable moments I have had in the Mara with our guests during the last 7 years of the Nature Wanderers Migration Uncut series.

From effective utilisation of morning and evening light situations to river crossings to hunt sequences, every day in Mara requires planning and I take this opportunity to thank all our guests over the past so many years for believing in me as their photography guide.

Looking forward to continuing more exciting adventures in August – September 2017.

Just conducted a caracal expedition in Kenya. Though the focus was on small cats and the expedition resulted in 2 caracals and 15 serval sightings, but the week in the lush green plains of Masai Mara was action packed. The wildebeests were out of action and the river was calm. However action in the green pastures was supreme as usual with lions jumping around in the rains, servals scouting for morning meals and some excellent work with the rare and elusive caracals – one of the most elegant small cats of the African bush.

The plans for the 2017 Migration Uncut photo safari series in Masai Mara are on. All you serious photography enthusiasts who wish to join me in my Aug-Sep 2017 Migration batches to witness the Great Annual Wildebeest Migration in Masai Mara can please send me an email on shivang@naturewanderers.com

Post a hectic 13 hours a day grueling schedule in the African bush, the 2015 edition of our migration campaign in Masai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo came to an end. The last leg our Mara campaign gave us some great cheetah action, a few superb river crossings were halted because of brutal crocodile and lion assaults. The ofcourse continued making use of the morning and evening light searching for subjects that can make good images.

It was great to see a clear view of the Kilimanjaro when we landed in Amboseli and elephants against the backdrop of the majestic peak made it a perfect frame. I was particularly impressed with the dedication showed by my fellow photographers in Tsavo where they experimented with some unique perspectives of red elephants by burying themselves underground for 2 days. The tons of wide angle perspectives from Tsavo were a real treat for photography.

It is monsoons and I am just doing some serious desk job before hitting the field again in August. Recently I recorded a 3 episode series for my close friend, journalist and India’s #1 travel blogger Ajay Jain for his initiative Kunzum TV.

So have you missed your bus to Masai Mara and other locations in Kenya this year? Is Kenya a destination for you in the future and you are still getting confused on what to choose amidst the crowd of packages being offered by different operators in the market? Watch the 3 part episode series on Kunzum TV to get an answer to all your WHYs pertaining to Kenyan locations like Masai Mara and plan your holiday to the Mecca of Wildlife.

Shooting in Masai Mara during the Great Wildebeest Migration has been one of my biggest photographic learning ground over the past few years. The ample amount of shooting opportunities opens avenues for experimentation and a lot of field experience gathered from the Savannah can be applied while shooting in Indian scenarios since opportunities in our forests are rare and its imperative for a photographer to make the best of those rare intrinsic moments in the woods of India.

This year my focus was yet again on tight closeups and in addition to the light, a heavy downpour during one of the days also acted as an aid while creating images in the Mara. Presenting an assorted collection of images from my 2014 Mara expedition:

The Great African Migration is much more than the simple river crossing which you are visualizing. Here are a few numbers to sweep you off your feat! The true spectacle of the migration is 1,245,000 wildebeest, 200,000 Burchell’s zebra, 18,000 eland and 500,000 Thomson’s gazelle filling the entire stretch of Mara landscape.

When the savannah turns golden red in the month of July, and the zebra start pouring in across the river, the first herds of the wildebeest arrive and the feasting for the Mara’s predators and scavengers, begins.

The African Lion is the supreme predator of the Mara landscape and is a treat watch during the migration time as with a sizeable prey base spread across the Mara, the lion prides hunt strategically in the early morning or late noon hours giving you the chance to photograph these rare moments from close quarters in great light.

Often regarded as a shy, nocturnal animal, sightings of leopard in the Mara can occur even in the middle of the day and last for several minutes.

Although not as muscular as the leopard, the cheetah is built for sheer speed and is the world’s fastest land mammal and has been timed at 110 kilometers per hour. The Mara is one of the best places in the world to shoot a cheetah in full action as they often seek a vantage point on a fallen tree, termite mound or even car bonnet, to look out across the savannah for their next prey.

Canon Photo Mentor and Nature Wanderers Escort – Shivang Mehta – has lead multiple photography groups to Masai Mara for the Great Annual Migration. In addition to photography, his days in Africa are planned in order to understand the movement and behavior of big cats and other African wildlife. Prolonged patience, hours of wait and meticulously planned safaris have ensured that he extracts the best from an action packed day in the Mara.

Join Shivang Mehta for his 2014 Masai Mara expedition and discover the hidden secrets of the Savannah during this years Great Annual Migration.